The plan, which creates a Senior Housing Zone and Westgate Village Mixed-Use Zone, will meet the Township's affordable housing obligation.
Alexis Tarrazi, Patch Staff
BASKING RIDGE, NJ — The Township's plan to meet its required New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) fourth-round affordable housing obligation was approved by the Township Committee despite pushback on the dais and from residents.
The Township Committee approved two ordinances, with a vote of 4 to 1, at its April 15 meeting to meet its obligation. Committee woman Jennifer Asay was the lone no vote on both ordinances.
"We need to start over. I am confident we can reduce the families by a substantial percentage, easing our community burden," said Asay at the meeting.
The ordinances include creating the SH-4 Senior Housing Zone which increases the number of units from 308 to 337 units. It also increases the total square footage from 231,666 to 259,666 square feet.
The 29 income-restricted units for seniors would be built on the property connecting the Ridge Oak senior citizens complex on Manchester Drive.
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"We do have a [state] mandate and the mandate doesn’t go away if this body refuses to fill it. If we were to refuse to exercise our judgment to fill the mandate, we leave it to a judge to sort it all out in response to builders’ remedy lawsuits," said Deputy Mayor Andrew McNally.
"I believe that the responsible thing for this body to do is decide on an approach that develops as little as possible both in terms of overall units and number of sites. And a lot of affordable housing is fundamentally a numbers game," continued McNally. "Ridge Oak helps us achieve this because it affords us one-for-one affordable housing plus bonus credits."
The second ordinance calls to replace the Westgate Village Mixed Use Senior Overlay Zone within the E-3 Zone with the Westgate Village Mixed Use Zone. The zone would specifically change the zone to include family inclusionary housing, which means it is a mix of market and affordable housing units.
It also increases the density of housing units from 375 to 574 units, of which 115 units would be designated as affordable units. And it ultimately reduces the amount of nonresidential development by around 210,000 square feet.
The project would include a 150-room hotel of about 217,000 square feet and 20,000 for nonresidential space (down from the 230,000 nonresidential area previously allowed).
"During my many years of service on the Zoning Board of Adjustment, I have been an opponent of overdevelopment. I voted against the Allen Road light manufacturing project and other proposals that were not consistent with the character of our community. I am a longtime resident, husband, father, and local business owner. It pains me deeply that we find ourselves in this situation," saoc Committeeman David Tancredi. "Unfortunately, I do not see any alternative that will result in less development to the Westgate project. This regrettable situation we find ourselves in as a direct result of the state’s affordable housing process, to which we are held hostage."
Committeewoman Ana Duarte-McCarthy said the Westgate project "feels like we are swallowing the bitter pill and where the perspective of overdevelopment is very relevant."
"If we adopt Westgate and the new overlay changes from senior housing age-restricted to multifamily units. The office building would be redeveloped into family units as would the existing parking garage," said McCarthy.
She added that adopting Westgate and Ridge Oak and Our House will help the Township meet its affordable housing obligation.
Mayor Janice Fields noted that the Ridge Oak and Westgate proposals were given to the Township Committee from the Township's Affordable Housing Committee who she says worked on this for a whole year.
"So we did do better, we got the proposal after they worked on it for a whole year, and this is what they recommended was the best option," said Fields. "I believe Westgaste offers us the least impact in our community. It’s one development versus three developments in town, with fewer units and less traffic, making it the most reasonable option for all of us."
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